Mat 25:35-36 (NIV) For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited Me in, I needed clothes and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you came to visit Me.’

Jesus, is telling us through Ephesians 6:17 (NIV) to take the...sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. If we do this, we will be accepting Jesus’ Bible as our only source of truth. If we read or hear anything that disagrees with it, we reject it by using our sword and shield against it.

Mat 13:7 (NIV) Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Jesus goes on with the parable of the sower sowing his seeds in his field. Jesus explains that other seeds fell among thorns. Thorns represent all of those worries that we have in our life that pressure us to spend time trying to solve them. The thorns also represent our pursuit of money as we try to get it to solve our needs and fix our problems. The more time we spend on these things, the less time we spend developing our skills with the sword of the Spirit.

Mat 13:22 (NIV) The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. Here is one of the major reasons why many people fail Jesus’ final exam: Mat 6:24 (NIV) No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. If we were to talk to most people, none of them would feel like they are serving money.

Mat 6:25 (NIV) Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. IS NOT LIFE more important than food, AND THE BODY more important than clothes? There are two things that take over our thoughts, feelings, and decisions of life and pull us away from Jesus and His training. The worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it. There can be a tremendous concern for food, clothing, transportation, housing, comfort, entertainment, education, and security. If we don’t use our shield and sword against them, they will defeat us and dominate our lives.

Mat 6:26 (NIV) Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Jesus isn’t trying to get us to stop sowing, reaping, or storing. He is just pointing out that there are some creatures that are a lot more vulnerable than us who get their needs met. He is trying to show us that our heavenly Father cares for them; and, He is showing us the He loves us a lot more than them.

Mat 6:27 (NIV) Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? We won’t need food, clothing, transportation, housing, comfort, entertainment, education, and security if we are dead. Jesus wants us to think about the fact that if God stops protecting our life there is nothing we can do to keep ourselves alive. If we have to trust God to keep us alive, then we need to learn how to trust Him for taking care of the needs of this life.

Mat 6:28-29 (NIV) And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If we take a look at lilies and Solomon we will see some important things about God and life. The only reason lilies look the way they do is because God made them that way. And, the only reason Solomon had all the things he had was because God gave him incredible wisdom for how to get that way. If we see this vital truth, we will see a way to make sure everyone on this planet can get all their needs met for the rest of their lives. But, we will have to effectively use our sword and shield or the resistance to this way of life will be too great.

Mat 6:30 (NIV) If that is how GOD clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? What does God have to do with making sure you have food, clothing, transportation, housing, comfort, entertainment, education, and security? Doesn’t God take care of those who take care of themselves? No! As a matter of fact, all we have to do is step in where we need God and try to take care of it ourselves and God will move away. 1 Pet 5:7 (NIV) Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

Mat 6:31 (NIV) So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ This is a commandment from Jesus; He isn’t going to be able to help us pass our final exam, if we don’t listen to Him about this issue. If you add up all the hours in a day where you are doing what it takes to make sure you have these things, you will see that this issue is dominating your life. AND, you are barely able to take care of your OWN needs, much less take care of the rest of the people in this world for the rest of their lives. We must use our sword of the Spirit to cut these weeds out of our life.

Mat 6:32 (NIV) For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. We have a choice; we can either run after all these things or we can go to our heavenly Father and find out what He wants us to do. He took a young man named Solomon and put such incredible wisdom in him that he became one of the riches people on the planet. What do you think He would be willing to do to, for, with, and through you?

Mat 6:33 (NIV) But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these THINGS will be given to you as well. If we seek FIRST God’s kingdom and His righteousness, what do you think He will teach us? Mark 10:29-30 (NIV) “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for Me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields--and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.

WHAT? God cares about our finances? He has a plan for making sure all our needs are met? It wouldn’t be the main issue on Jesus’ final exam, if it weren’t the main concern on our heavenly Father’s heart. He is the One Who made us with a body that needs all these THINGS. But, He has a different plan for getting these needs met than the one the world has. Mat 6:33 (NIV) But seek FIRST His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these THINGS will be given to you as well.